Letter-box.



No. 745,938. PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903. E. P. WALLACE.

LETTER BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1902.

NO MODEL.

I INVENTOR WITNESSES:

c4 TTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES Patented December 1, 1901 EMILUS FRANKLIN WVALLAOE, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

LETTER-BOX.

SFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,938, dated December 1, 1903.

Application filed May 26,1902. Serial No. 109,004. (No model.)

To all wit/077i it may concern:

Be it known that LEMILUs FRANKLIN WAL- LACE, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Letter- Boxes, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in mail-boxes.

The object of my invention is to construct the lid or closure in the form of a receptacle adapted to receive packages or parcels of greater bulk than ordinary letters and cards and at the same time to protect the contents of the box from malicious removal.

To this end the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the parts of a letter-box, as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved mail-box. Figs. 2 and 3 are similar transverse sectional views through the upper end of the box, showing particularly the different positions of the lid or closure. Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views, respectively, of the main lid or receptacle and a guard or plate for preventing interference with the contents of the mail-box when the lid is being opened and closed.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

In the drawings I have shown a mail-box 1, having an inlet-opening 2, in which is movable a swinging lid or closure 3, the opening 2 being formed in one of the side walls of the box in proximity to its upper end and is normally closed by a lid 3. This lid or closure is preferably constructed in ,the form of an open sided receptacle which is pivotally mounted at 4 upon the end walls of the box 1 and is provided with a curved inner wall 5 and an outwardly-extending wall 6, terminating in a counterbalance 7 at its outer end, said lid being also formed with end walls 8, which are arranged in close proximity to the inner faces of the end walls of the box 1.

The lid or receptacle 3 is formed with an opening 9 in one side, which is movable into and out of registration with the opening 2 of the box 1, being shown as registered with said opening 2 in Fig. 2 for receiving parcels or bottom of the box.

heavier mail-matter and as moved to its nor= lated that when the outer end is moved forwardly to the limit of its rocking movement a sufficient space is left between the upper wall 6 and the upper edge of the opening 2 to permit the insertion of ordinary letters and similar mail-matter, said upper wall in this position being inclined rear-wardly and downwardly for diverting the mail-matter into the In order to limit the upward rocking movement of the outer end of this lid, I preferably provide the forward end of the bottom wall 5 with a suitable stop-face 10, which abuts against the inner face of the front wall of said box, as seen in Fig. 2, the return movement of the lid to its normal position being limited by a suitable stop-face 11, which engages the outer face of said front wall, as seen in Fig. 3. This lid or receptacle 3 is preferably pivoted at a point in proximity to the upper edge of the opening 2 and wall 6 in order that said wall 6 and the depending counterbalanced portion 7 may travel in close proximity to the opening 2 and entirely close said opening when the lid is in its normal position and, furthermore, to prevent the insertion of the hand or any instrument for the purpose of maliciously removing the contents of the mail-box. In order to further protect the contents of the box, I provide a guard or plate 12,which is pivotally supported at 13 in proximity to the front wall of the mail-box and just beneath the lower edge of the opening 2,said plate being of substantially the same width as the interior of the box and is arranged to lap upon the inner face of the free edge of the curved wall 5 in such manner as to form a continuation of said wall 5 when the lid is being moved into and out of its operative position. In order to control the movement of said guard-plate 12, I usually provide the same with inwardly-extending arms 14:, which ride upon the opposite ends of the inner face of the wall 5 and are preferably curved in substantially the same plane as the said wall 5.

The swinging parts 3 and 12 being pivoted, respectively, in proximity to the upper and lower edges of the opening 2 move in different arcs toward and away from each other, the wall 5'normally swinging upwardly toward the top wall of the box 1 by the action of the counterbalance 7, which slightly overbalances the portion at the inside of the pivot 4, and the guard-plate 12 normally swings downwardly and forwardly by its own gravcaused to ride upon the inner face of the wall- 5 by reason of the engagement of thearms 14 with the front edge of the wall 5 until said front edge engages the front wall of the box 1 for limiting the upward rocking movement of the lid. In this position a suflicient opening is left above the wall 6 to permit the insertion of letters in the direction indicated by arrow y, Fig. 2, and in this position parcels or heavy mail-matter may be inserted through the openings 2 and 9 onto the bottom wall 5, as indicated by the arrow z.

The operation of my invention will now be readily understood upon reference to the fore going description and the accompanying drawings, and it will be noted that the essential feature of my invention is to provide a lid or closure for the opening in a mail-box which will be capable of receiving packages and heavier mail-matter and at the same time permit the insertion of ordinary letters and similar mail, and while I have shown and described a specific construction I do not limit myself to this particular construction and arrangement.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patout, is-

1. Aletter-box having an opening, an opensided receptacle swinging in the opening and having its upper side provided with a wall extending through the opening and its lower wall provided with an opening movable into and out of registration with the former opening and means to limit the upward swing of the receptacle to leave a letter-opening above the upper wall when the opening in the receptacle is alined with the opening in the box.

2. Aletter-box having an opening, an opensided receptacle swinging in the opening and having its upper side provided with a wall extending through the opening and its lower wall provided with an opening movable into and out of registration'with the former opening and means to limit the upward swing of the receptacle to leave a letter-opening above the upper wall when the opening in the receptacle is alined with the opening in the box and a counterbalance to return the receptacle to its normal position.

3. Aletter-box having an opening, an opensided receptacle swinging in the opening and having its upper side provided with a wall extending through the opening and its lower wall provided with an opening movable into and out of registration with the former opening means to limit the upward swing of the receptacle to leave a letter-opening above the upper wall when the opening in the receptacle is alined with the opening in the box, and a counterbalance to return the receptacle to its normal position, in combination with a movable wall forming a continuation of the inner wall of the receptacle.

4. A letter-box having an opening in one side, an open-sided receptacle swinging within the box, said opening in the receptacle alternately registering with the opening and interior in the box as said receptacle is rocked, a guard-plate separate from the receptacle and having curved arms engaged thereby to move the plate and partially close the opening in the receptacle when registered with the interior of the box.

5. A letter-box having an opening in one side, an open-sided receptacle hinged near the upper edge of the opening and swinging within the box, said opening in the receptacle alternately registering with the opening and interior in the box as said receptacle is rocked, a guard-plate hinged to the receptacle near the lower edge of its opening and actuated by said receptacle to partially close the opening in the receptacle when registered with the interior of the box, and a counterbalance for the receptacle projecting through the opening of the box, the outer and upper walls of the receptacle normally closing the opening in the receptacle.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day May, 1902.

EMILUS FRANKLIN l/VALLAOE.

W'itnesses:

H. E. CHASE, MILDRED M. Now. 

